The race was marked by daily newspaper advertising, persistent door-to- door campaigning - even the giveaway of tablets and pencils at the polls. Strategy for both candidates was to concentrate on their own qualifications for the job.

Kurtz, 28, of 880 Barnsdale Road, Bethlehem,will replace District Justice William Griffith in District 3-1-04. Griffith did not seek re-election.

Schlegel and Kurtz were cross-filed in the primary, when they battled four other candidates. Kurtz gained the Democratic nomination, Schlegel the Republican.

Both candidates spent heavily in the contest for the job, which pays $38,000 per year. Preliminary expense reports show that, as of Oct. 19, Schlegel invested $8,209.12, while Kurtz spent $5,388.48.

In other district justice races, Loretta Rudolph, who beat longtime Bethlehem Township District Justice Dennis Monaghan in the primary and was unopposed yesterday, received 3,579 votes. The former employee in Monaghan's office had accused the incumbent of spending too little time on the job, a charge he denied.

John Gombosi, who has presided over his South Side Bethlehem district for more than 30 years, got 1,513 votes in his unopposed re-election bid. District 3-2-10 covers the city's 1st through 5th wards.

Under state law, the 66-year-old Gombosi will have to retire before the end of his six-year term, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

In District 3-3-01, District Justice Harold R. Weaver Jr. received 2,119 votes in his unopposed run. His district covers Chapman, Walnutport and Lehigh and Moore townships.

In West Bethlehem, District Justice Joseph J. Maura retained his seat, capturing 4,069 votes. Maura was on both tickets after running unopposed in the primary. District 31-1-06 covers Bethlehem's 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th wards. Maurafirst sought the seat in 1969.